How much? Really, Amir? 256?

TORONTO - Amir Johnson was the last Raptor to report to camp, but his recovery from off-season ankle surgery appears well on track.

A noticeably bigger Johnson – he said he was up to 256 pounds after finishing a grueling season at 235 – pegged his ankle at 95%.

New Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said he liked what he saw from Johnson and the rest of the team.

“I saw no symptoms of his ankle,” Casey said.

“Health wise I thought we were in good shape. We’ll see after tonight, but I saw no ill effects of anyone’s summer whatsoever.”

Weight gain

Johnson joked that his weight gain was a result of spending the off-season “drinking Canadian brew,” before elaborating on his rehab.

While extremely unrealistic, Johnson is setting the bar for his season as high as possible.

“One of my goals is to try to get defensive player of the year, that’s what I’m looking forward to … offence comes second,” Johnson said.

That’s the type of attitude Casey is looking for.

His first practice as Raptors head coach was entirely based on defence. The only offence the club produced was at the free throw line.

“We’re a work in progress defensively,” Casey admitted.

“The number one thing we talked about was changing the culture and we started that process today.

“The culture of toughness and a defensive focus.”

Casey said he wasn’t nervous to get started, maybe a little anxious. Definitely excited.

He added that working in new additions over the next few days (Mickael Pietrus and Gary Forbes are the strongest possibilities) would force him to repeat some things in practice, but didn’t see that as a bad thing at all.

To me it is a little worrisome he is anywhere near 250lbs. He has a history of ankle problems and weight won't help. Agility, speed, and leaping were some of his strengths that he used to his advantage.

To me it is a little worrisome he is anywhere near 250lbs. He has a history of ankle problems and weight won't help. Agility, speed, and leaping were some of his strengths that he used to his advantage.

I hope I'm wrong and time will tell but I don't feel good about this.

If there's one player that really needs to shine this year, it's Amir. This team cannot afford to wait any longer.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

I am very excited about that. I've always had very high hopes on Amir. He states his goal is defensive player of the year. Even if someone thinks that is unrealistic it doesn't really matter - it shows his focus,determination and devotion to defense. He will get better that is for sure.

If Alex McKechnie is as good as we're hearing, I'm sure Amir's weight won't be a problem. He'll probably lose 10 lbs. before Xmas.

Umm...that's 10 lbs lost in 2 weeks...maybe but if he's not even at 100% (just the ankle, not counting the beer gut), do you want to try and push him that hard? Again, I think the concern is definitely that he'll get re-injured before he gets back into shape. No need to rush Amir back. We can get some extra burn for Ed early in the season and limit Amir's minutes. I don't see a problem with that.

If there's one player that really needs to shine this year, it's Amir. This team cannot afford to wait any longer.

I'm not sure why. He earned his contract last season. He's proven EXTREMELY valuable to the team. He doesn't have a major flaw that would prevent him from contributing to a contender.

You think he needs shine more than DeRozan or Bargnani? Or Bayless? Of James Johnson? The last two guys probably have more riding on this year than anyone. Are their real players or are they going to be scrubs for the rest of their career?

Umm...that's 10 lbs lost in 2 weeks...maybe but if he's not even at 100% (just the ankle, not counting the beer gut), do you want to try and push him that hard? Again, I think the concern is definitely that he'll get re-injured before he gets back into shape. No need to rush Amir back. We can get some extra burn for Ed early in the season and limit Amir's minutes. I don't see a problem with that.

At his age and weight, 10 lbs shouldn't be difficult to lose. I was a few years older when I lost 10 pounds in a week simply be eating less.

I'm not sure why. He earned his contract last season. He's proven EXTREMELY valuable to the team. He doesn't have a major flaw that would prevent him from contributing to a contender.

You think he needs shine more than DeRozan or Bargnani? Or Bayless? Of James Johnson? The last two guys probably have more riding on this year than anyone. Are their real players or are they going to be scrubs for the rest of their career?

JJ at least has the comfort of one more guaranteed year. It is do or die for Bayless.

Isn't next year a team option for Johnson? It doesn't say so on Hoopshype, but usually the season before the qualifying year is a team option, in the rookie contract.

It is a team option... final year of rookie contract. Those rookie years have to be picked up before the start of the season. Last year I believe it was October 30 or 31. So before December 25, the Raps (and all teams with rookie contracts) will have to make a decision on the next year of the rookie deal.

You are right though... it is not guaranteed yet. I think it is a mere formality though.

At his age and weight, 10 lbs shouldn't be difficult to lose. I was a few years older when I lost 10 pounds in a week simply be eating less.

Did you actually reply that? I mean I'm not saying he can't lose it in 2 weeks. .but I doubt you and him share a similar body type and lifestyle. Also don't forget that they're not just going to try and run his weight off. He has to get stronger. Also he's clearly going to have to eat more, you know, since he's a pro athlete with a physically grueling schedule. Sigh.....I just don't know why you'd even make that comparison.

I'm not sure why. He earned his contract last season. He's proven EXTREMELY valuable to the team. He doesn't have a major flaw that would prevent him from contributing to a contender.

You think he needs shine more than DeRozan or Bargnani? Or Bayless? Of James Johnson? The last two guys probably have more riding on this year than anyone. Are their real players or are they going to be scrubs for the rest of their career?

This comment is not because I hate his game. I'm one of the few that vehemently defends the guy. I'm merely stating this due to the crowded front court situation. If he's the main big off the bench, that's what he needs to strive for. JV arriving next year, with the rise of Ed and Bargs (so anchored to the franchise, he's considering to become Canadian), its going to be more competitive than ever. As for your other points with Bayless and DeRozan, I agree. But I think the pressure's on Amir to really make it happen this year based on the last two draft picks.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

Did you actually reply that? I mean I'm not saying he can't lose it in 2 weeks. .but I doubt you and him share a similar body type and lifestyle. Also don't forget that they're not just going to try and run his weight off. He has to get stronger. Also he's clearly going to have to eat more, you know, since he's a pro athlete with a physically grueling schedule. Sigh.....I just don't know why you'd even make that comparison.

Why does Amir need to lose weight? He's 7 feet tall with a decent frame, young enough that his body probably is just finishing developing -- 255 is not too heavy. I saw the interview -- it didn't look like "Canadian brew" (his words when asked) was what got him that extra weight -- he's looking pretty cut. If it's 'good' weight, and if he maintains his flexibility, balance, etc., the extra pounds should actually help him playing at the C position.

Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

256 is a lot for a guy who's always been skinny. It also makes me worried that he focused too much on weights while he was unable to run on his ankle. If you don't gain weight evenly it is bad. If it's all in his upper body it could be risky, especially on his already thin legs. I just don't want him to get hurt. It can all be good weight and still be a negative. Also if he needs to gain weight anywhere it's on those legs. That's what you play the game on, that's where the strength to hold position and box guys out comes from. If he just gained mostly upper body strength it can even emphasize his weaknesses by making him rely on using his arms to push and fight which will make him pick up even more bad fouls. If it is just upper body, he can't possibly have maintained his flexibility, balance, etc...and if he pushes himself to do so, it could lead to an injury. More isn't always better.

Did you actually reply that? I mean I'm not saying he can't lose it in 2 weeks. .but I doubt you and him share a similar body type and lifestyle. Also don't forget that they're not just going to try and run his weight off. He has to get stronger. Also he's clearly going to have to eat more, you know, since he's a pro athlete with a physically grueling schedule. Sigh.....I just don't know why you'd even make that comparison.

Yes, I actually replied to that. Not sure why it results in a sigh. The point is that the guy probably didn't get his regular amount of off season work because he was recovering from injury. It shouldn't be hard for a guy who's 256 and isn't in peak physical shape to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks.

This comment is not because I hate his game. I'm one of the few that vehemently defends the guy. I'm merely stating this due to the crowded front court situation. If he's the main big off the bench, that's what he needs to strive for. JV arriving next year, with the rise of Ed and Bargs (so anchored to the franchise, he's considering to become Canadian), its going to be more competitive than ever. As for your other points with Bayless and DeRozan, I agree. But I think the pressure's on Amir to really make it happen this year based on the last two draft picks.

I don't think he actually needs to do much more than he did last year, when he was arguably the most valuable big the Raptors had. The guy has proven he can be a fantastic guy off the bench, and is comfortable in that role.

Why does Amir need to lose weight? He's 7 feet tall with a decent frame, young enough that his body probably is just finishing developing -- 255 is not too heavy. I saw the interview -- it didn't look like "Canadian brew" (his words when asked) was what got him that extra weight -- he's looking pretty cut. If it's 'good' weight, and if he maintains his flexibility, balance, etc., the extra pounds should actually help him playing at the C position.

When you put on that much weight that quickly, it puts A LOT of strain on your joints, especially your knees. Usually when people put on that much weight they end up having knee problems because their knees simply couldn't adjust quickly enough to supporting that much weight.

That's actually why I've said that I wouldn't want Valanciunas to gain that much weight. He needs to get stronger, but I wouldn't want to see him pack on much more weight.

Yes, I actually replied to that. Not sure why it results in a sigh. The point is that the guy probably didn't get his regular amount of off season work because he was recovering from injury. It shouldn't be hard for a guy who's 256 and isn't in peak physical shape to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks.

Because if I said he needed to gain 10 lbs, and said he should be able to because I once did it in 2 weeks just by eating a lot more, would it make it a good comparison?

Because if I said he needed to gain 10 lbs, and said he should be able to because I once did it in 2 weeks just by eating a lot more, would it make it a good comparison?

It depends what type of weight you want him to gain. My guess is no.

I wasn't suggesting that Amir could simply lose the weight by eating less, but the fact that I was able to do it that way shows that it's not that difficult a task. Especially since Amir is much heavier than I was (so the percent of body weight would be less). I thought that was pretty obvious. Apparently not.